Escalator, moving stairway, and the like



Dec. 14, 1926. Y 1,610,411

w. s. G. BAKER l l, ESALATOR, MOVING STAIRWAY, AND THE LIKE Filed March29. 1923 lSheet'S--Sheeu 1 1l l n4 .9.. 0. 1 e s, e 1 w S f u m E une t.um@ w. E?. v H n M a .u N3 A mm1. Mw. A .Tw GsMnlw ,.nn Smm S. u .mw am. u, ww@ n a C s E Dec. 1 4 1926.

Patented Dec. 14, 1926..

WILLIAM S. GRAFF BAKER, OF EALING, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR 'IO OTISELE- VATOR COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJER- SEY.

Application filed March 29, 1923, Serial No.

This invention relates to improvements in escalators of the type inwhich an endless series of connected steps forms an incline upon whichpassengers or objects may be t-ransported from one level to another. Theobject of the invention is to overcome and remove certain difiicultiesand objections which are experienced in escalators as at presentconstructed. I

The invention broadly consists in an escalator comprising steps each ofwhich has four wheels. the arrangement being such that, upon theinclined portion of the escalator, two wheels only, one towards eachside f of a step, engage or travel upon an inclined track at a time.

According to the invention an escalator is provided on its inclinedportion with four tracks7 a single pair for the inclined part of theupper or load carrying sidel and a single pair for the inclined part forthe lower or return side of the escalator.

Of the four step wheels, a wheel towards each side of a step may becarried by an arm extending to such a position that the next adjacentstep below it engages and rests thereupon during travel upon lan inclineof the escalator. Further, a second pair of the four wheels of a stepmay be carried by a step in advance of those wheels which are carried byarms, the arrangement being such that the steps when on the incline ofthe load carrying side are supported and travel upon the whe-els carriedby the arms while when the steps are on the incline of the lower orreturn side of the escalator they are supported or travel upon the otherwheels.

Further features of the invention will hereinafter he described anddelimited by the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of an escalator according toone form of the invention and showing a short length of slope orinclined track;

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section of a pair of stepsillustrating the invention- Figure 3 is a plan view according to Figurel with the steps removed, showing the ar- 628,669, and in Great BritainMay 29, 1922.

rangement of the wheels and other parts on one side of the steps;

Figure 4c is a fragmentary front elevation of one of the steps withwheels and other parts according to Figures 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a carriage or curved tracks or guardssuitable for use at the upper platform of an escalator such asillustrated in Figure l, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line (5f-6 of Figure4f.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one convenient mode,each step a of the escalator has a pair of wheels Z) and c upon eachside thereof. One wheel b of each step is outside the step width andalittle to one side (up the slope) of the centre line of the step asillustrated in Figures 2 and 4.

The other wheel 0 on each side of a step is at the end of an arm dprojecting down the slope away from the step centre line and inside ofthe step width. Assuming that the load carrying side is moving in anascending direction, wheels I) are the front carrying wheels and wheelsc are the rear carrying wheels.

The wheel carrying arm l at either side isv rigidly bolted to theunderside of the step frame a so that the arm moves as a whole with thestep. The outer wheels Z) are mounted fre-ely on axles e passing throughthe arm beneath its point of attachment to the step frame, and theseaxles extend inwardly for a short distance, forming stub shafts whichoverlie or cross the outer ends of the arms from the step next above. Onthe inner sides ofthe arms are formed stout lugs d in positions in whichthey will be engaged by the ends of the arms of the next step, when thesteps are passing over the carriages or arcuate tracks (see Figure l) atthe top and bottom of the escalator. The arms (viewed in plan, seeFigure 3) lie parallel with the line of travel from the step frame to apoint level with the wheels carried by the arms of the next step above,then incline inwards as at cl2, till level with the axles of the outerwheels on the next step below, then again are formed to lie parallelwith the line of travel.

Each arm d is formed adjacent its extremity with a hook or upwardlycurved part Z3 adapted to engage, under certain circumstances, the stubaxles e and at certain times the outer surface is adapted to bearagainst the lugs CZ of the next preceding arm, as will be referred tohereinafter.

The inner wheels c are mounted freely on stub spindles at the innersides of the free ends of the arms.

The outer wheel Z) of a st-ep is not used on the upper or load carryingside of the slope, that is to say, it does not engage a track, but aninward extension of its spindle as at c rests on the end of the arm Z ofthe step above, thus making one pair of wheels (i. e. the inner wheels cat each end of a step) support one step, stability of support beinggiven by each step bearing on the arms of the next step up the slope.

On the return or under side of the escalator the outer wheels b aloneare used or adapted to engage the track and the arms now in their turnrest on the extensions of the outer wheel spindles e of the next step upthe slope.

The escalator has only two pairs of traveling tracks or rails on theinclined portions, the pair lettered f being upon the upper or loadcarrying portion while the pair of rails g are upon the lower or return7portion of the incline of the escalator.

At the bends from slope to flat the previously disused wheels (forexample, ZJ on the upper side) are engaged by auxiliary r tracks 7 andthe steps formed from a stair to a platform, or vice versa.

A carriage for the upper end of an escalator (see Figures 1 and 5)comprises arcuate tracks f2 and f3, the track f2 providing acontinuation of the upper track f and the track f3 a continuation of theauxiliary track f. The auxiliary track g receives the wheels c as theyemerge from the track f2 on the return side of the escalator. A. thirdtrack or guard g2 is mounted upon or forms part of the carriage andmerges into the track g. A. corresponding carriage is provided at thelower end of the escalator.

Zhen passing around the carriages the lugs CZ of the arms of one stepcome into contact or bear against the hooks Z3 of the arms of the nextstep, as shown in Figure 1, Thus, at the upper end of the escalator forexample, as the steps pass from the load carrying to the return portionof the track, the hook Z3 of the arm of each step rests upon the lug (Zof the arin of the succeeding step, thereby maintaining the desiredrelative positions of the steps and supporting the wheels c so as tocause them to ride onto the auxiliary track g. Similarly, at the bottomend of the escalator, as the steps pass from the return to the loadcarrying` portion of the track, the engagement ofl the hooks and lugsmaintain the desired relative posineige-11 tions of the steps andsupport the wheels o for cooperation with the curved portion of track Itwill be appreciated that by the above described arrangement of carriageand the mutual support of the steps the number of tracks required upon acarriage is small, the tracks may be all made of a concentric arcuatetype and are renewable.

The chain m of the escalator may be secured to each step by a pin orspindle h forming part of the chain joint and extended outwards toengage in two brackets It suitably disposed on the underside of thestep, as shown in Figure 6, thus allowing the removal of a short pin todisconnect the chain.

In the event of the chain breaking, the extensions of the outer wheelspindles e engage in the hooks Z3 formed on the ends of the arms of thenext step and prevent the steps parting more than a small amount andrendering unnecessary the use of .safety links.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention, what I claim is:

1. In an escalator the combination with a track having load carrying andreturn inclined portions, of an endless series of connected steps havingtwo sets of wheels, one set of each step overlapping the other set ofthe next preceding step in traversing the load carrying inclined portionof the track and said one set of each step overlapping said other set ofthe next preceding step in traversing the return inclined portion of thetrack.

2. In an escalator the combination with a track having load carrying andreturn inclined portions, of an endless series of connected steps havingfront and rear carrying wheels. the front wheels of one step overlappingthe rear wheels of the next preceding step, and a part carried by eachstep engaging a partupon the next preceding step between the front andrear wheels in traversing the inclined portions of said track, wherebythe first named parts support the second named parts upon the returninclined portion of the track and the second named parts support thefirst named parts upon the load carrying inclined portion of the track.

3. In an escalator the combination with a track having load carrying andreturn inclined portions, of an endless series of connected steps havingf'ront and rear carrying wheels, the wheels of adjacent stepsoverlapping and each step engaging an adjacent step, said steps beingsupported by the front wheels ruiming upon the track when traversing oneof said inclines, and by the rear wheels upon the track when traversingthe other of said inclines.

4. In an escalator the combination with a track having load carrying andreturn porllO tions, of a series of connected steps operating upon saidtrack, overlapping Wheel sup porting arms mounted upon said stepsarranged to engage each other While the steps are passing from one ofsaid portions of the track -to the other.

5. .In an escalator the combination With a track having load carryingand return portions, of a series of connected steps operating upon saidtrack, overlapping wheel supporting` arms mounted upon said steps, eachof said arms being provided with a certain hook adapted to engage a partupon an adjacent step only in the event of the connections between saidsteps being broken.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name t0 this specification.

W. S. GRAFF BAKER.

